What's on TV? Sunday, December 25, 1960

Isn't that a delightful header? It comes from the days when TV Guide celebrated Christmas not only with a headline spread across two pages, but by labeling the day as such, rather than simply saying, in this case, "Sunday." That last part is a trait that they continued even after they stopped doing the header, by the way. By the end of TV Guide's days—at least the TV Guide that we all knew and loved—they'd ceased to recognize Christmas in any meaningful sense. It reminds me of one of our hometown newspapers, I can't remember which one—there's one on each side of the river. In any event, on Christmas morning, above the masthead, the person in charge of the layout had splashed, in big letters, "Happy Holidays!" It was the source of much ridicule in the days to come; one liberal commentator observed that, no matter how you felt about it, December 25 was undeniably Christmas Day, and the paper could hardly have gotten in trouble by stating a declarative fact. This is, however, the city that once banned red poinsettias in government buildings; you could have white ones, or pink I suppose, but red was "too" Christmasy. Might offend someone, you know. Me, I'll quote one of my favorite writers, that "Offend" should be my middle name.

Today's listings come from New York City, with a touch of Connecticut thrown in. And, as promised, there's plenty of Christmas commentary thrown in.

	2  WCBS (CBS)
	MORNING
	7:55	NEWS
	8:15	PREVIEWS
	8:20	GIVE US THIS DAY—Religion
	8:25	NEWS
	8:30	MY LITTLE MARGIE—Comedy
	9:00	PEOPLE’S CHOICE—Comedy
	9:30	WAY TO GO—Religion
	10:00	CHRISTMAS, U.S.A.   SPECIAL  “Lamp Unto My Feet” and “Look Up and Live” will not be seen this morning
	11:00	UN IN ACTION—Novins
	11:30	CAMERA THREE
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	CBS TELEVISION WORKSHOP
	12:55	NEWS—Harry Reasoner
	1:00	MOVIE—Comedy “The Emperor Waltz” (1948)
	2:30	MOVIE—Drama “David Copperfield” (1934)
	3:45	THIS IS WCBS-TV
	4:30	NEW YORK FORUM
	5:00	CHRISTMAS STARTIME   SPECIAL   COLOR  “Amateur Hour” and “G-E College Bowl” will not be seen today
	EVENING
	6:00	BURNS AND ALLEN—Comedy Last show of the series
	6:30	TWENTIETH CENTURY Admiral Byrd
	7:00	LASSIE—Drama
	7:30	DENNIS THE MENACE
	8:00	ED SULLIVAN—Variety Guests: Alfred Drake, Roberta Peters, Odetta, the Baird puppet, the Robert Shaw Chorale, Marji Lee
	9:00	G.E. THEATER—Drama “The Other Wise Man”
	9:30	JACK BENNY—Comedy
	10:00	CANDID CAMERA Guest: Dorothy Collins
	10:30	WHAT’S MY LINE?
	11:00	NEWS—Walter Cronkite
	11:15	MOVIE—Drama Late Show: “Remember the Night” (1940)
	1:00	MOVIE—Comedy Late Late Show: “Larceny, Inc.” (1942) Time approximate
	2:50	NEWS
	2:55	GIVE US THIS DAY

Christmas, U.S.A. is CBS's presentation of Christmas celebrations from around the country, including Valley Forge, New York City, San Diego, and Salt Lake City. Ed Sullivan is definitely in the Yuletide spirit tonight, with appearances from the Baird Puppets, musical comedy star Alfred Drake, opera singer Roberta Peters, and the Robert Shaw Chorale. This show would have been a winner no matter what episode of Hollywood Palace would have been up against. it.

WCBS ends the evening with a pair of Christmas movies: Remember the Night, with Fred MacMurray as a sympathetic D.A. looking after shoplifter Barbara Stanwyck; and Larceny, Inc., a delightful comedy with Edward G. Robinson as the leader of a gang that buys a luggage store to use as a front for robbing the next-door bank, only to see the store become profitable. 

	3  WTIC (HARTFORD) (CBS)
	MORNING
	8:00	BIG PICTURE—Army
	8:30	CHRISTOPHERS—Religion
	9:00	SPEAK UP—Education
	9:30	UNDERSTANDING OUR WORLD—Educaton
	10:00	CHRISTMAS, U.S.A.   SPECIAL  “Lamp Unto My Feet” and “Look Up and Live” will not be seen this morning
	11:00	UN IN ACTION—Novins
	11:30	CAMERA THREE
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	INSIGHTS—Education
	12:30	WE BELIEVE—Religion
	1:00	YOUR COMMUNITY
	1:15	YESTERDAY’S NEWSREEL
	1:30	PERCEPTION—Education
	2:00	MOVIE—Drama “The Little Kidnappers” (English; 1954)
	3:30	MOVIE—Comedy “Androcles and the Lion” (1952)
	EVENING
	6:00	INTERNATIONAL ZONE
	6:30	TWENTIETH CENTURY Admiral Byrd
	7:00	IVANHOE—Adventure
	7:30	DENNIS THE MENACE
	8:00	ED SULLIVAN—Variety Guests: Alfred Drake, Roberta Peters, Odetta, the Baird puppet, the Robert Shaw Chorale, Marji Lee
	9:00	G.E. THEATER—Drama “The Other Wise Man”
	9:30	JACK BENNY—Comedy
	10:00	CANDID CAMERA Guest: Dorothy Collins
	10:30	WHAT’S MY LINE?
	11:00	NEWS—Walter Cronkite
	11:15	MOVIE—Opera “The Barber of Seville” (Italian; 1947)
	12:50	NEWS AND WEATHER
	12:55	MOMENT OF MEDITATION

At noon, CBS Television Workshop ends its run with a Christmas-themed story of passengers on an American plane headed for Moscow that develops engine trouble. Later in the afternoon, Leonard Bernstein hosts Christmas Startime, first shown last year, with the New York Philharmonic, the St. Paul's Cathedral Boys Choir of London, and the great Marian Anderson.

G.E. Theater's "The Other Wise Man," based on the story by Henry Van Dyke and hosted by Ronald Reagan and his family, tells of another Wise Man, Artaban (Harry Townes), who, failing to visit the Christ Child in the manger, spends the rest of his life searching for Him. You can see it here. Later, on Candid Camera, servicemen stationed in Greenland are surprised by a visit from their wives and sweethearts. I guess that isn't such a new thing today at that. 

	4  WNBC (NBC)
	MORNING
	7:40	SERMONETTE—Religion
	7:45	MODERN FARMER
	8:45	PROTESTANT FOURTH R
	9:00	LET’S TALK ABOUT GOD
	9:15	JEWISH FOURTH R—Religion
	9:30	LIBRARY LIONS
	10:00	PROTESTANT HERITAGE
	10:30	FILM DRAMA
	11:00	INVITATION TO ART
	11:30	MOVIE—Drama “The Pied Piper” (1942)
	AFTERNOON
	1:00	YOUTH FOURMS—Gordon
	1:30	ETERNAL LIGHT—Religion Guests: Maurice Samuel, Mark Van Doren
	2:00	MOVIE—Drama Movie Four: “The Bells of St. Mary’s” (1945)
	3:30	DIRECT LINE—Interview
	4:00	NBC OPERA COMPANY   SPECIAL  “Amahl and the Night Visitors”
	5:00	CELEBRITY GOLF Dennis O’Keefe vs. Sam Snead
	5:30	CHET HUNTLEY
	EVENING
	6:00	MEET THE PRESS—Interview   COLOR  Dr. Henry Heald, president of the Ford Foundation
	6:30	PEOPLE ARE FUNNY
	7:00	SHIRLEY TEMPLE   COLOR  “Babes in Toyland”
	8:00	NATIONAL VELVET—Drama
	8:30	TAB HUNTER—Comedy
	9:00	DINAH SHORE—Variety   COLOR  Guests: Vukiji Asoka, the Kotetsu jugglers, Ohmari brothers dancers, top-spinner Komo Zura, acrobat Katchi Namba, singers Tony Toyoda and Matsumi Maki, musicians the Yamakawa sisters, musician Junko Hara
	10:00	LORETTA YOUNG—Drama
	10:30	THIS IS YOUR LIFE—Edwards
	11:00	NEWS—Frank Blair
	11:10	MOVIE—Drama Movie Four: “Pepote” (Spanish; 1957)
	1:00	MOVIE—Mystery “Fair Warning” (1937)
	2:30	SERMONETTE—Religion

On Eternal Light, Maurise Samuel and Mark Van Doren discuss "Mr. Lincoln and the Bible." The matinee movie at 2:00 p.m. is The Bells of St. Mary's, the sequel to Going My Way, with Bing Crosby and Ingrid Bergman in a story against a Christmas backdrop; Bing gets his second Oscar nomination for playing Fr. Chuck O'Malley. That's followed at 4:00 p.m. by NBC's eleventh presentation of the stirring Amahl and the Night Visitors, with Kirk Jordan and Rosemary Khulmann. And at 7:00 p.m., Shirley Temple presents Victor Herbert's Babes in Toyland, with Jonathan Winters, Jerry Colonna, Joe Besser and Carl Ballantine as the bad guys.

	5  WNEW (IND.)
	MORNING
	7:45	UNDERSTANDING
	8:15	CARDINAL SPELLMAN
	8:30	WONDERAMA—Children
	9:00	WONDERAMA—Sonny Fox
	AFTERNOON
	1:00	CHRISTMAS CARTOONS
	2:00	HOLIDAY THEATER—Drama
	3:00	MOVIE—Drama “A Christmas Carol” (English; 1951)
	5:00	THEATER 5—Drama
	EVENING
	6:00	MOVIE—Drama “Call Northside 777” (1948)
	8:00	ALBERT BURKE—Comment
	8:30	SCIENCE REPORTER
	9:00	AMERICAN FORUM
	9:30	MEDIC—Drama
	10:00	CHARLIE CHAN—Mystery
	10:15	NEWS
	10:30	SHERLOCK HOLMES
	11:00	MOVIE—Mystery “Woman on the Run” (1950)
	12:45	NEWS; CALL TO PRAYER

After the four-hour Wonderama Christmas spectacular, WNEW presents an hour of Christmas cartoons; later, it's a rerun of the Alasair Sim Christmas Carol. At 5:00 p.m., Theater 5 has "Meet Mr. Kringle," which is, in fact, the made-for-TV version of Miracle on 34th Street with Thomas Mitchell as Kris Kringle; it also stars Macdonald Carey and Teresa Wright as Fred and Doris, and Sandy Deschler as Natalie Wood. You can read more about the Wonderama Christmas specials, by the way, here; you'll also want to keep that site open for another program coming up.

	7  WABC (ABC)
	MORNING
	7:56	MORNING PRAYER—Religion
	8:00	CARTOON FESTIVAL—Children
	9:30	ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
	10:00	ASTRONOMY FOR YOU
	10:30	FOCUS—Documentary
	11:00	FAITH FOR TODAY
	11:30	THIS IS THE ANSWER
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	DAMON RUNYON THEATER
	12:30	PIP THE PIPER—Children   DEBUT
	1:00	DIRECTIONS ’61   SPECIAL
	2:00	MOVIE—Drama “Miracle on 34th Street” (1947)
	3:30	CHAMPIONSHIP BRIDGE
	4:00	HAWKEYE—Adventure
	4:30	PAUL WINCHELL—Variety   RETURN
	5:00	MATTY’S FUNDAY FUNNIES
	5:30	ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
	EVENING
	6:00	IVANHOE—Adventure   RETURN
	6:30	WALT DISNEY—Cartoon
	7:30	MAVERICK—Western
	8:30	LAWMAN—Western
	9:00	REBEL—Western
	9:30	ISLANDERS—Adventure
	10:30	CHRISTMAS NIGHT   SPECIAL  “The Gift of Song” Guests: June Valli, Susan Reed, Bill Hayes, Lois Hunt “Winston Churchill: The Valiant Years” will not be seen
	11:00	MOVIE—Musical Comedy Night Show: “Sun Valley Serenade” (1941)
	1:00	EVENING PRAYER—Religion

If that Thomas Mitchell version of Miracle on 34th Street doesn't cut it for you, you have one more chance to see the original at 2:00 p.m. Before that, though, the whimsical Damon Runyon Theater has "Dancing Dan's Christmas," in which Broderick Crawford plays a mobster  Directions '61 has "The Rag Tent," based on the play "Christmas in the Marketplace," which tells the story of a group of migrant workers spending Christmas Eve in a field tent near a motel.

At 6:30 p.m., Walt Disney presents "From All of Us to All of You," his much-loved Christmas show first shown in 1958, featuring Mickey, Donald, Goofy, and more of Walt's most popular animated characters. And at 10:30 p.m., it's Music for a Christmas Night—The Gift of Song, a pleasant half-hour of Yuletide favorites. 

	8  WNHC (NEW HAVEN) (ABC)
	MORNING
	8:00	ALBERTA MAGNUS CHOIR
	8:25	NEWS
	8:30	THIS IS THE LIFE
	9:00	CHRISTMAS SONGS University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State glee clubs
	9:30	CHRISTMAS SONGS Yale Glee Club, Wiffenpoofs
	10:00	CHRISTMAS SONGS University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State glee clubs
	10:30	LIVING WORD—Religion
	10:45	LIGHT TIME—Religion
	11:00	FAITH FOR TODAY
	11:30	THIS OUR FAITH—Religion
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	CHAMPIONSHIP BRIDGE
	12:30	PIP THE PIPER—Children   DEBUT
	1:00	DIRECTIONS ’61   SPECIAL
	2:00	HIGHWAY PATROL—Police
	2:30	WEST POINT—Drama
	3:00	PAUL WINCHELL—Variety   RETURN
	3:30	CHRISTMAS SONGS University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State glee clubs
	4:00	BOWLING—Milford
	5:00	YALE GLEE CLUB CONCERT
	5:30	ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS
	EVENING
	6:00	SPIRIT OF CHRISTMAS
	6:30	SEA HUNT—Adventure
	7:00	LASSIE—Drama
	7:30	MAVERICK—Western
	8:30	LAWMAN—Western
	9:00	REBEL—Western
	9:30	ISLANDERS—Adventure
	11:00	MOVIE—Dave Kiernan
	11:10	WEATHER—Joe Francis
	11:15	MOVIE—Comedy “Christmas in Connecticut” (1945)
	1:15	NEWS

No question about it, you're going to get plenty of opportunities to see the University of Connecticut and Southern Connecticut State glee clubs today, plus the Yale Glee Club. I wonder if they're allowed to do concerts like this anymore? At 3:00 p.m., Paul Winchell's weekly series returns; he plays Santa Claus, and Jerry Mahoney is Santa's helper. With help like that. . .

I like the way WNHC ends the evening: with the classic Christmas in Connecticut, starring Barbara Stanwyck, Dennis Morgan, Sydney Greenstreet and Reginald Gardiner. How appropriate that it's being shown on Christmas, in Connecticut. 

	9  WOR (Ind.)
	MORNING
	10:20	NEWS AND WEATHER
	10:25	ALMANAC NEWSREEL
	10:30	MOVIE—Musical “March of the Wooden Soldiers” (1934)
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	ORAL ROBERTS—Religion
	12:30	CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
	12:45	EVANGEL HOUR—Religion
	1:15	TEEN CHALLENGE
	1:30	MOVIE—Adventure   COLOR  Million Dollar Movie: “Blackbeard, the Pirate” (1952)
	3:00	MOVIE—Adventure   COLOR  Million Dollar Movie: “Blackbeard, the Pirate” (1952)
	4:30	MOVIE—Adventure   COLOR  Million Dollar Movie: “Blackbeard, the Pirate” (1952)
	EVENING
	6:00	FILM DRAMA “Christmas is Magic”
	6:30	FILM DRAMA “Heart of Gold”
	7:00	TERRYTOONS—Kirchner
	7:30	MOVIE—Drama “From This Day Forward” (1946)
	9:00	MOVIE—Drama “The Virgin of Guadalupe” (1942)
	10:30	MOVIE—Drama “Here Comes Mr. Jordan” (1941)
	12:00	ALMANAC NEWSREEL

One thing for sure: if WOR paid one million dollars for Blackbeard, the Pirate, they were going to be damned sure they got their money's worth out of it. I'd opt for Laurel and Hardy's March of the Wooden Soldiers, a very loose adaptation of the Babes in Toyland story we saw on Shirley Temple's show. Don't watch it for the story, though, but for Stan and Ollie, especially when Stan tries to teach Ollie how to play pee-wees. Surprisingly, the best version you're going to see is the colorized one, which is really well done.

	11 WPIX (Ind.)
	MORNING
	9:00	LET’S HAVE FUN—Children
	AFTERNOON
	12:30	CHRISTMAS PARTY Chuck McCann, Bozo the Clown, Captain Jack, Officer Joe Bolton The following will not be seen today: “Encounter,” “Continental Miniatures,” “The Big Picture,” “Mark Saber,” “Captured,” “Public Defender,” “City Detective,” and “Laurel and Hardy”
	5:00	CASEY JONES—Adventure
	5:30	SUPERMAN—Adventure
	EVENING
	6:00	BRAVE STALLION—Adventure
	6:30	WHIRLYBIRDS—Adventure
	7:00	PIONEERS—Western
	7:30	ENCOUNTER—Religion
	8:00	AIR FORCE ADVENTURE
	8:30	TO BE ANNOUNCED
	9:00	MOVIE—Drama “Thunder in the Valley” (1947)
	10:30	TARGET—Adolphe Menjou
	11:00	MOVIE—Drama “How Green Was My Valley” (1941)

From 1959 to 1963, the Christmas Party was a tradition on WPIX; the second half of this article goes into loving detail regarding the festivities that are still warmly remembered over a half-century later.

	13 WNTA (Ind.)
	MORNING
	10:00	RELIGIOUS PROGRAM
	11:00	CROSSROADS—Religion
	11:30	IRVING CAESAR SHOW   DEBUT
	AFTERNOON
	12:00	BETWEEN THE LINES
	12:30	GOV. ROBERT MEYNER
	1:00	MOVIE—Western “Apache Warrior” (1957)
	2:30	MOVIE—To Be Announced
	4:00	OSCAR LEVANT—Conversation
	4:55	PLAYBACK—Music
	5:00	MOVIE—Drama Picture of the Week: “God is My Partner” (1957)
	EVENING
	6:30	GREAT MUSIC—Chicago Guest: Rosalind Elias
	7:30	PLAY OF THE WEEK—Drama “Emmanuel”
	9:30	WIND OF CHANGE
	10:00	OPEN END—David Susskind

Metropolitan Opera star Rosalind Elias is the guest on an evening of Christmas music with the Chicago Symphony on Great Music. That's followed by a rerun of last night's Play of the Week, "Emmanuel." 

And there you have it. Not a bad way to spend Christmas, is it? TV